כהן
Cohen means ‘priest’ as in the Levitical priesthood. It means ‘one who officiates.’ Cohen is found 286 times in the Old Testament; 72 in the new.
The priests of Israel descended from the Tribe of Levi, the high priests from the Levitical family of Aaron. The Levitical priesthood had responsibilities within the Tabernacle. They were also to be teachers of Torah. They received no land inheritance because their inheritance was to be a priest of God.
“Summon the tribe of Levi, and assign them to Aharon the cohen, so that they can help him” (Numbers 3:6).
“But the L’vi’im have no share with you, because the office of cohen to Adonai is their inheritance; and Gad and Re’uven and the half-tribe of M’nasheh have received their inheritance beyond the Yarden to the east, which Moshe the servant of Adonai gave them” (Joshua 18:7).
“Yes, he will rebuild the temple of Adonai; and he will take up royal splendor, sitting and ruling from his throne. There will be a cohen before his throne; and they will accept each other’s advice in complete harmony” (Zechariah 6:13).
“Her cohanim [priests] have done violence [destroy] to my Torah, profaned my holy things, made no difference between the holy and the common, not distinguished between unclean and clean, hidden their eyes from my shabbats, and profaned me among themselves” (Ezekiel 22:26).
“Ezra the cohen brought the Torah before the assembly, which consisted of men, women and all children old enough to understand. It was the first day of the seventh month” (Nehemiah 8:2).
“Adonai has sworn it, and he will never retract — “You are a cohen forever, to be compared with Malki-Tzedek” (Psalm 110:4).
Hebrew Word Pictures
כ Kaf – A Wing means ‘to open’ or ‘to allow.’
ה Hey – A Window means ‘reveal’ or ‘behold.’
ן Nun – A Fish means ‘life.’
The Hebrew Word Picture for cohen: to open the revealing of life.
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